Display device having triangular reflectors

ABSTRACT

A display device in which the grid formed by rectangular reflector elements has each element divided by at least one diagonal into at least two triangular reflectors at the base of which at least one light source is provided and which is closed by a respective diffuser. The diffusers are held in place by light-tight settings surrounding the diffusers. The result is a display with a particularly high definition capable of proportional display of alphanumeric characters.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage of PCT/1894/00209 filed 29 Dec.1994 and based, in turn, on Austrian National Application a 2652/93filed 30 Dec. 1993 under the International Convention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a display device with a grid-shaped body havinga plurality of reflectors and having an electrically excitable lightsource, whereby each reflector is covered with a diffusing plate shapedlike a lens.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a display device of this kind known from DE-A1-29 32 413, thegrid-like body is formed by round reflectors arranged next to each otherat equal distances, which are provided with a light source. Thediffusing plates, designed as retro-reflectors, arranged in a plate-likecomponent, which reaches over the edges of the grid-like body.

On the one hand this translates into relatively quite thick displaydevices. On the other hand the individual diffusing lenses interferewith each other, which results in unclear displays.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the particular object of the invention to provide a display devicewhose thickness is reduced in comparison to the known display devicesand wherein the displayed symbol groups are more easily readable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is attained in that at its end opposite to the light sourceeach reflector has a light-proof mounting for the individual diffusingplates.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the grid of the grid-shapedbody is formed by rectangles, preferably squares, each of which issubdivided into triangles by at least one diagonal, whereby eachtriangle forms the end covered by a diffusing plate of a reflectorprovided with a light source.

The legibility of the displayed symbol group is increased by the factthat the diffusing plates have a lens-shaped arch concave towards thelight source.

In order to achieve a multicolored display, the light sources and/or thediffusing plates can have various colors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become morereadily apparent from the following description, reference being made tothe accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a display device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the display device accordingto FIG. 1 with the individual parts shown separately from each other anda grid element shown in detail;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged representation of a part of the display deviceaccording to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section along line IV--IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an example of a display with a conventional display device;

FIG. 6 is a display with the display device of the invention by usingproportional script; and

FIG. 7 is a further embodiment of the invention shown in arepresentation similar to that of FIG. 3.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

According to FIGS. 1 to 4 a display device consists basically of agrid-shaped body 1, a light source 2, which is mounted on a device 3 forthe supply of electric current, e.g. a printed circuit board, andlens-shaped diffusing plates 4. The grid of the grid-shaped body 1 isformed by squares in the embodiment example shown in the drawing, eachof these squares being subdivided into four triangles by two diagonals(FIG. 2). Thereby in a plan view triangular structures are created,whose inwardly extending walls are shaped like pyramidal reflectors 5,whereby in the area of the respective apex of each pyramid a lightsource is located.

At its end opposite to the light source 2, each reflector 5 forms alight-proof setting for the respective diffusing plate 4.

The diffusing plates 4 are pressed into the grid-shaped body 1, i.e.into each of the provided settings or seats 6. The thin, about 0.5 mmthick, light-proof webs forming the settings 6 between the adjacentdiffusing plates 4, prevent transitional emission of radiation at theedges of the plates 4. The diffusing plates 4 are provided withlens-shaped arch 7 at their surfaces facing the light source 2 for thepurpose of an even light distribution.

Due to the design according to the invention an "LCD effect" isachieved, without the disadvantages of the conventional LCD displays.The subdivision of a script surface with freely selectable dimensionsinto a large number of grid units makes possible the presentation of allscript symbols, and also the presentation of running inscriptions. Afurther substantial advantage of the system of the invention is thepossibility of providing inscriptions over the entire script surface(e.g. ten symbols 200 mm high or two lines with at least twenty symbols90 mm high). Proportional script may also be displayed, as shown in FIG.6.

A comparison of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 will show the advantage of the systemaccording to the invention over the conventional LCD technique. FIG. 5shows the heretofore used subdivision of LCD lenses with the centralwebs necessary for conductor tracks. By contrast, FIG. 6 shows a displayaccording to the invention, in which proportional script may be used.

In FIG. 7 a further embodiment of the invention is illustrated, wherebythe squares are subdivided only by one diagonal into two triangles andin the created pyramidal reflector three light sources 21, 22 and 23 arearranged, which can have different colors.

I claim:
 1. A display device comprising:a body formed as a grid ofrectangular reflector elements each subdivided by at least one diagonalinto at least two triangular reflectors, each of said triangularreflectors being defined by walls which diverge from one side of thebody at a narrow end of a respective triangular reflector to an oppositeside of the body at a wide end of the respective triangular reflectors;at least one light source respectively provided at the narrow end ofeach of said triangular reflectors; a respective diffuser extendingacross to the wide end of each triangular reflector; and a respectivelight-tight setting receiving each of said diffusers at the respectivewide ends and bordering the respective diffuser for retaining therespective diffuser.
 2. The display device defined in claim 1 whereineach of said diffusors is concave toward the respective light source.